The golden dragon is that of Wessex in a green field crossed by a symbolic repre­sentation of the River Avon.
The black billet stands for the coal-mining area in the south of the district, while the wheatsheaves refer to the agricultural area in the north.
The motto indicates the district's cultural and historical background.

ARMS:Gules rising from Water barry wavy in base proper the Piers of a Bridge Or thereon a Castle Argent portcullis raised thereunder a Leopard's Face in chief an Estoile of eight points and a Fleur-de-Lys Gold.CREST:On a Wreath Argent and Gules an Ancient Ship Or in full sail rigging Sable flags and pennant Argent each charged with a Cross Gules the sail also Argent charged with a Chevron between three Garbs of the second.SUPPORTERS:On either side a Lion guardant Or each gorged with a Rope proper pendent therefrom on the dexter an Escutcheon Gules charged with two Bendlets wavy Gold and on the sinister an Escutcheon Argent charged with a Trivet Sable.

The shield carries the design of the seal, which has been used for centuries. The waves of blue in the water refer particularly to the double bore of the river, and the red field may be taken as a reference to the red shield of Douai in France, whence came Walter de Douai who received the grant of the town in Norman times. The star, fleur-de-lis, and leopard's face are all royal emblems, and indicate the numerous royal charters, beginning with that of King John, which the town has received.
The golden ship represents Bridgwater's importance as a port in many periods. The sail is decorated with the arms of Admiral Blake, a native of the town, and the black chevron and sheaves may also be considered to allude to the grain and coal traffic.
The lions are further royal emblems, the ropes at their necks allude to another local activity — the hemp industry. The two shields are those of the De Briwere and Trivet families. Bridgwater was granted to the De Briweres in the time of Henry II, and Walter de Briwere founded the Hospital of St John and built the Castle. Sir Thomas Trivet, who bore punning arms of a black trivet on white, completed the bridge over the River Parrett.

ARMS:Gules six Clarions three two and one Or a Chief wavy barry wavy Azure and Argent.CREST:Out of a Roman Corona radiata Or a demi Dragon also Or gorged with a Brass Wire enfiled with a Cogwheel proper and holding between the claws an Escutcheon Argent thereon a Cross Sable charged with a Leopard's Face Gold.

The six golden clarions or trumpets on a red ground are the arms the extinct Keynsham Abbey, and the wavy blue and white bars represent the rivers Avon and Chew. It has been suggested that the appearance of six clarions is due to the combining of the three clarions of the de Clares, Earls of Gloucester, with the three of the Greenville family who were also of great influence in the district in bygone times, but this is not so. The original arms of the de Clares show six clarions, later reduced to three, and it was the early version which was adopted by Keynsham Abbey from its founder and patron William, Earl of Gloucester.
The wreath and mantling are in red and gold, the colours of the Abbey arms and also those of Somerset County Council. The Roman crown alludes to the Roman occupation and the golden dragon of Wessex, refers both to our Saxon history and to the old brass industry of Keynsham and Saltford. One of the badges of the former "Society of Mineral and Battery Works" was a golden dragon. A more specific reference to this formerly important local industry is the brass wire around the dragon's neck, on which is threaded a cogwheel to represent modern industries. Between the dragon's claws is the basic family shield of the Brydges or Bridges, in reference to their long connection with the district. The motto is also theirs.

ARMS:Azure in chief a Cherub and in base a Saxon Crown Or.CREST:Issuant from a Mural Crown Or a Peacock in his pride proper gorged with a Saxon Crown Or; Mantled Azure doubled Or.

Motto 'DEFENDAMUS' - Let us defend.
Granted 23rd October 1934.

Previously the Borough had used an unauthorized device consisting of a cherub above a royal crown, based on a seal dated 1685. When the arms were granted the royal crown was replaced by a Saxon crown, as it could not be used without a special licence from the King, and if such licence were obtained the crown would have to be placed above any other emblem in the arms. The replacement Saxon crown has reference to Ine, King of the West Saxons, founder of Taunton. The cherub probably refers to the priory founded in the reign of Henry I by William Giffard, Bishop of Winchester.
The mural crown is a symbol of civic government and the peacock was derived from an ancient seal of the Borough believed to date from about 1180.
The coat of arms for the Borough of Taunton was first recorded in1685 when it was depicted on a hand seal as a winged cherub's head above an Imperial crown. John Collinson writing in 1792 recorded that the original seal showed an eagle with wings displayed standing on an Imperial crown. This might suggest that the cherub's head is a misrepresentation and that the twin symbols of authority - an eagle and crown - were intended. The arms were probably adopted in or soon after 1677 when the town's charter was restored.
The arms only became official on the 23 October 1934 when a grant of them was received from the Herald's College. As the Imperial crown could only be borne by special permission of the Monarch, this was changed to a Saxon crown as an allusion to King Ine, the supposed founder of Taunton in the early eight century. The peacock which features on the crest as derived from the peacocks shown on the vase of the town's thirteenth century seal as space-fillers and the rural crown refers to Taunton Castle.
The motto Defendamus - we shall defend, also recorded first in 1685, clearly refers to the civil war sieges of 1644 - 5 when Taunton refused to surrender to royalist forces. Defendamus was also the title of a grand pageant staged in the town in 1928 and an anthem, composed that year by Laurence Tanner of Bristol with words by Major MF Cely Trevilian. The words of the second verse are still occasionally sung:
Love of country, self forgetting;
Equal law for small or great;
Custom, harbinger of freedom;
Throned in worship, thought and state;
These the lessons we must master,
These the things which to the end-
Though the heavens crash around us
To the death we must defend.

ARMS:Or on a Pall purpure a Pall wavy Argent a Chief Vert thereon a Rural Crown Or between a sinister and a dexter Glove appaumy Argent.CREST:On a Wreath of the Colours in front of a demi Eagle Or wings inverted charged on the breast with a Crescent enclosing an Estoile of twelve rays Sable and on each wing six Bezants four Roses Gules barbed and seeded proper.

The gold background is taken from the arms of the Somerset County Council and the 'pall' or Y- shapad figure, suggests the initial of the name and also the junction of two Roman roads, one of them the Fosse Way, near Ilchester. The white wavy 'pall' alludes to the River Yeo or Ivel, which gives its name to Ilchester and Yeovil, and means 'the forked river' as in the Welsh 'yr eifl' (the forks). The purple colour recalls Imperial Rome and the many Roman associations of the district. The green 'chief' refers to the pastoral character of the District and the crown of wheat-ears and acorns is one specially devised for Rural District Councils. The white gloves refer to the distinctive local industry.
The eagle is, again, a reference to Roman history and has its wings inverted as on the Roman standards. It also refers to the Fleet Air Arm station at Yeovilton and to the Monteagle family of Martock, for whose arms eagles were the supporters. The star and crescent on its breast are derived from the ancient borough seal of Ilchester, which no doubt bore them in reference to King John, to whom the device is attributed as a badge. Three of the four red roses come from the arms of the Phelips family of Montacute; the other is from those of Cardinal Wolsey, whose first living was that of Limington. The gold bezants on the eagle's wings refer to the connection of the district with the Duchy of Cornwall.